Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) courses

Integrated biochemistry and physiology

Offered: Fall
Description: Fundamental principles of animal metabolism and physiology, including the function of cells, skeletal muscle, heart and vascular system, gastrointestinal tract, and nervous system.

Medical terminology

Offered: Fall
Description: This course is intended for first year DVM students.  We will use a system approach to the study of Medical Terminology. Essential word parts and terms will be presented in the context of basic anatomy, physiology, and disease conditions giving students tools to immediately apply new terminology to practical clinical situations. Most of the course requirements will be completed independently, and assessment will be through online quizzes, worksheets, crossword puzzles and case studies. Self-motivation will be necessary to be successful in the course.  The instructors will do their best to make the material interesting, to connect the content you will learn in other courses (especially Anatomy and Physiology) and to focus on generalized patterns and ways of learning and using medical terminology.

Exotic animal rotation

Offered: Fall/Spring

Microscopic anatomy I

Offered: Fall
Description: Introduces microscopic and ultrastructural morphology of cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems.

Anatomy I (Carnivore anatomy)

Offered: Fall
Description: Gross and developmental anatomy of domesticated mammals, includes a carnivore dissection (using the dog as a model with comparative features of the cat).

Critical scientific reading

Offered: Fall
Description: Introduces critical analysis and review of scientific literature, statistical analysis, and evidence-based medicine.

Anatomy II (Ungulate anatomy)

Offered: Spring
Description: Gross and developmental anatomy of domesticated mammals; includes an ungulate dissection (focuses on the horse with emphasis on clinically important aspects of ruminant and swine anatomy).

Physiology II

Offered: Spring
Description: This course provides a knowledge base of key concepts related to endocrinology, reproductive, urinary and respiratory medicine necessary for understanding clinical diagnosis and treatment in future related disciplines and in the clinic.

Veterinary immunology (Host defenses)

Offered: Fall
Description: Introduces immunology, including innate and adaptive immunity and cells and molecules involved in protection against infectious agents and cancers; an overview of antibody-antigen-based testing and immune-mediated disease

Agents of disease I

Offered: Spring
Description: Virology, bacteriology, and parasitology of common domestic species.

Agents of disease II

Offered: Fall
Description: International diseases and virology, bacteriology, and parasitology of common domestic species.

Veterinary pharmacology I

Offered: Fall
Description: Principles of pharmacokinetics as applied to the use of antimicrobials and other drugs in animal patients; clinical pharmacology of antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic drugs; principles of pharmacodynamics and adverse drug reactions; and pharmacology of drugs affecting the autonomic nervous system and the medically-important target organs it innervates.

Clinical pathology I

Offered: Fall
Description: Understand/explain normal/abnormal function of hematopoietic system. Principles/clinical application of cytology as diagnostic tool. How clinical laboratory data is generated/interpreted.

Small animal medicine I

Offered: Fall
Description: Pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic approach, therapeutic options, management protocol of common/important hematologic, immunologic, infectious diseases of dogs/cats.

Veterinary clinical diagnostic laboratory

Offered: Fall
Description: Hands-on diagnostic laboratory, including sample- handling, parasitology, microbiology, urinalysis, and serologic testing.

Small animal medicine II

Offered: Spring
Description: Pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic approach, therapeutic options, and prognosis of dental, gastrointestinal, hepatic, urinary and endocrine diseases of dogs and cats.

Microscopic anatomy II

Offered: Spring
Description: Microscopic Anatomy II is focused on the study of the functional (microscopic) morphology of the organs within the specialized connective tissue, endocrine, reproductive, renal and respiratory systems.  This course represents an extension of what you already know about the microanatomy of cells, tissues and organs (Microscopic Anatomy I).  Knowledge gained within this course has been synchronized with your study of these same organ systems in physiology, is needed to understand changes which occur with disease (pathology) and utilized often within a clinical practice context e.g., the initial analysis of fine needle aspirates of masses.

Veterinary pharmacology II

Offered: Spring
Description: Pharmacology of drugs affecting the urinary and digestive systems, pharmacological alleviation of inflammation and pain in animal patients.

Avian core

Offered: Spring
Description: Welcome to Avian Core! This course is delivered in a blended format and will present information on birds. Successful completion will provide a firm foundation for more advanced avian studies such as avian and exotic medicine and surgery, poultry health, and wildlife/raptor rehabilitation. Through a blend of didactic lectures, videos, live labs and student-driven inquiry, topics of ornithology, behavior, anatomy, physiology, production management, diseases and basic clinical procedures are presented. Fundamentals of flock management and nutrition are covered along with principles of biosecurity and recognition of diseases. This is a broad introduction to birds and will prepare you for other avian courses, not to qualify you as a poultry, companion bird or wild bird veterinarian.

Small animal medicine III

Offered: Fall
Description: Pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic approach, therapeutic options and management protocols, and prognosis of cardiopulmonary, neurologic and neoplastic diseases of dogs and cats.

Applied small ruminant and camelid practice

Offered: Spring
Description: This course will build upon previously taught core material and will focus on diagnosing, treating, and preventing common problems seen in routine veterinary practice with sheep, goats, and camelids. This course will be a prerequisite for 4th year Small Ruminant rotation, unless instructor permission is given.

Large animal medicine III

Offered: Fall
Description: Course addresses common medical disorders of the large animal neurological, muscular, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems, as well as core medical problems of swine. It will provide part of the large animal clinical content needed to pass the National Board Examination, as well as foundation knowledge for subsequent large animal elective courses.

Professional development V

Offered: Spring
Description: Advanced clinical communications; cultural competence.

Veterinary toxicology

Offered: Fall
Description: Mechanisms by which common toxicants encountered in residential, natural, and agricultural or industrial settings exert their deleterious effects in animals; approaches to treating common toxicoses from toxicant exposure.

Small animal clinics rotation

Offered: Summer

Veterinary genetics and genomics

Offered: Spring
Description: This course integrates principles of genetics and genomics, with the goals of illustrating how an understanding of these molecular biosciences enables a better understanding of the many mechanisms at play in animal health and disease. This is also a building block course to which much of the curriculum connects. Natural extensions of the knowledge gained in this course include the molecular basis for cell and tissue structure and function in biochemistry and physiology, reproductive biology, and numerous downstream connections to pathology, oncology, and medicine.